Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-05-20
miscellaneous.
Keep Good Cows.

Mr.. L. F. Abbott of Lewiston, one of the
best informed agricultural writers in
Maine, furnishes the following excellent
article to the New England Farmer. from
which we copy:
Every farmer, no matter what his spe-
cialty, should have well defined plans in
view in regard to his work. and endeavor
| to accomplish the result aimed at. Ii a
farmer makes speciality OF growing hay,
having farm adapted to growing grass,
he will clear his land and get it into grass
as soon as comfortable with existing cir
cumstances. He won't crop the land to
death with something else before he seeds
it down; he makes hay his chief crop and
all other things are secondary, and those
crops which will not conserve to the ulti-
mate benefit of the grass crop take back
seat
So in stock raising. II the farmer finds
sheep profitable on his hill pastures. he
studies their peculiarities, calculates the
market, and finds what is for his interest
TO breed. whether for wool or for mutton
or both. and shapes his course according
IT, So in the dairy, if fine butter is to be
the specially, cows that give good guam
titv of rich milk are desirable. Very like
" the mind will run to the comely Jerseys,
tor in this breed, it will be conceded, we
have the best distinctively butter COW.
But every cow of whichever breed may
be chosen, will not possess to desirable
degree those qualities which will make
her continuance in the dairy desirable.
Not every COW because she happens to
have Jersey blood in her veins. will make
butter OF a quality which will suit the
present fastidiousness of the market. One
COW of dairy may give good quantity
OF milk, but her butter lack good color and
even right texture. One COW of this kind
in a herd will deteriorate the product of
several better ones if the cream is all
chnrned together.
The patrons of a creamery, portion of
them, may have cows deficient in the
particulars just named. If there are
quite ndmber of such cows comprised
within the circuit of the cream gatherer's
route, the product turned out at the
creamery will be effected. more or less.
The butter will be lacking in that texture
which is very desirable to suit the palate
of a fastidious market. The work OF
color can be remeded. but it is not so
satisfactory to customers when told that
their butter is artificially colored. The
natural rich golden product is what makes
a market tor itself al good prices.
Here then is a study for the dairyman
What is for the interest of all patrons is
for the good of each Individual. Every
paron is bound by a selfish interest. if by
no other motive, to make his individual
herd of cows tirst-class in every respect,
tor it is only by having tirst-class cream
that first class butter can be made. The
individual may think his one or two cows
in so large a number as the aggregate
will make no difference, and so may his
neighbors on his right hand and on his
left hand and over on the cross roads, anC
among them all they defeat the ends most
desirable to gain, as good butter product
as can be made.
1t IS not good economy to keep a COW
which does not make first-class butter and
good quantity of it. 1t costs nearly as
much to keep cow which will make but
six pounds of butter week while she
gives milk and will go dry two months
before calving again, and prove farrow
two years in five at that, as it does one
which will make her eight to ten pounds
of butter in week and bother her owner
to dry her off before her period of gesta-
ton is closed and give her owner calf
promptly every year But little argument
need be used to prove which of the two
sorts of cows will be the most profitable.
1t is duty the farmer owes to himself
to see that his cows are paying him fair
price tor the food and attention he is Civ
ing them. If they are not thus paying a
profit to their owner, surely there is no
profit in keeping them longer